admin40 812 children receiving children’s allowances and 5 305 people receiving an invalidity pension.
The number of pensioners has increased enormously over the years to its present level, as shown in the table below. Despite this, it is common to hear people complaining that they are not benefiting from the scheme.
There may be a number of reasons for this. One is that some contributors may have left employment before reaching retirement age and so do not qualify for a retirement pension or any form of benefit at the time they leave employment.
Other contributors who might be eligible for a benefit under the scheme may, for a variety of reasons, including ignorance of the claim procedures, never have approached NSSA to claim their benefit. Some may not realise they are eligible for a benefit. Others may not realise they have to lodge a claim in order to receive a benefit. Still others may not know how to go about the claim procedure.
NSSA pays benefits to all those applicants who qualify for them. However, a benefit claim has to be lodged with NSSA in order for NSSA to process it and, where the applicant qualifies, pay it.
The applicant must also fulfil the qualifying criteria. Contributors who leave employment before attaining the age of retirement do not immediately qualify for a retirement pension or grant.
The national pension scheme does not offer unemployment benefits. Those who leave employment before the scheme’s qualifying retirement age have to wait until they reach retirement age to be eligible for a retirement grant or pension.
What NSSA is increasingly seeing is an influx of former scheme members who were duly paid their benefits during the Zimbabwe dollar period, who are relaunching claims for benefits.
This arises from a situation where they were paid a grant, which is a one-off payment, during the Zimbabwe dollar period. Because they feel that they were not paid enough at that time, they approach NSSA with various reasons as to why they should be reconsidered for a pension.
A commonly cited reason is that they did not cash the cheque they received from NSSA or that they never received the cheque at all. They should, therefore, be reconsidered for another payment in United States dollars, such people argue.
This is despite the fact that NSSA records clearly indicate that the member received the payment and in some cases actually signed for the cheque.
This has been a major source of complaints, with such people implying that NSSA does not pay benefits to deserving members.
It is important to note that NSSA has rules and regulations that it has to follow in the discharge of its obligations to members.
Previous articles in this column have detailed the various benefits that can be accessed from NSSA, how members can access them and the procedures to be followed.
The normal retirement age at which a member of the scheme becomes eligible for a retirement benefit is 60, although there is provision for a late retirement age of 65 for those able and willing to continue working until then. Those who were working in certain specified arduous occupations, such as mining and agriculture, for the seven years preceding retirement can elect to retire at 55 years of age.
Only those who have contributed to the pension scheme for a minimum of 120 months are eligible for a pension when they reach retirement age. Those who contributed for less than that but for more than 12 months are eligible for a once-off grant.
NSSA has always paid benefit applicants the benefits they are entitled to in terms of the rules of the national pension and other benefits scheme.
The table provided here shows the phenomenal increase there has been in the number of pensioners and beneficiaries since the scheme started paying benefits.
Growth in the number of NSSA Pensioners 1997 to 2012
Year Children’s Allowance Survivor’s
Pension
Invalidity pension
Retirement
1997 45 589 400 4 206
1998 45 1 127 2 151 6 992
1999 45 1 565 3 566 9 969
2000 446 1 873 5 107 12 199
2001 460 2 408 7 079 16 160
2002 460 2 770 8 868 19 963
2003 460 2 960 10 711 22 895
2004 827 3 370 12 413 26 555
2005 5 560 3 633 14 919 33 111
2006 14 653 3 904 17 280 38 019
2007 18 930 4 092 19 538 41 061
2008 20 154 4 177 21 141 42 725
2009 23 537 4 344 24 380 47 097
2010 30 024 4 652 29 298 54 615
2011 36 472 5 054 34 020 62 290
2012 40 810 5 305 37 723 66 988
As already stated, the national pension scheme currently pays US$4,9 million per month in pension benefits. This figure is increasing monthly.
The scheme paid a total of US$14 million in 2009, US$20,8 million in 2010 and US$46 million in 2011. There is nobody who applies for benefits who will not be paid what they are entitled to in terms of the scheme.
l Talking Social Security is published weekly by the National Social Security Authority as a public service. There is also now a weekly radio programme, PaMhepo neNssa/Emoyeni le NSSA, discussing social security issues every Thursday at 6.50pm on Radio Zimbabwe. Readers can e-mail issues they would like dealt with in this column to [email protected] or text them to 0735 041 278. Those with individual queries should contact their local NSSA office or telephone NSSA on (04) 706517-8 or 706523 5.
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